Stink bugs belong to the order Hemiptera and are shield-shaped insects. They feed on a variety of plants, including many high-value crops, causing significant agricultural damage. Their presence indoors during cooler months is a major nuisance for homeowners, as adults seek sheltered places to overwinter. Understanding their mobility, particularly their ability to fly, helps explain how they move from fields to homes and spread across large geographic areas.
The Direct Answer: Stink Bugs Have Wings
Adult stink bugs possess wings and are capable of flight. They have two pairs of wings. The forewings, known as hemelytra, are not entirely membranous; the basal half is thickened and leathery, while the apex remains thin.
This structure classifies the insect as a “true bug” in the suborder Heteroptera. When at rest, the forewings fold over the body, serving as a protective shield for the delicate hindwings underneath. The hindwings are entirely membranous and are the primary structures responsible for generating lift and propulsion during flight.
Flight Capability and Movement Patterns
Stink bugs utilize their wings for dispersal, migrating to new feeding sites, and searching for overwintering locations. Their flight is often described as clumsy or erratic compared to more agile insects. This is likely due to their large, shield-shaped body and the heavy structure of their forewings. When they take flight, the rapid movement of their hindwings creates a distinctive, loud buzzing sound.
In the autumn, adults undertake seasonal migrations, flying from summer feeding grounds toward sheltered structures like houses and barns to overwinter. While they can fly several miles a day, their primary mode of daily movement is walking and climbing on plants and structures.
Identifying Wingless Nymphs
The confusion about a stink bug’s flight ability often comes from observing the immature stages, called nymphs, which are incapable of flight. Stink bugs undergo gradual metamorphosis, developing through five nymphal stages, or instars, before reaching the adult form. These nymphs are smaller and generally more rounded than the shield-shaped adults, and their coloration can change significantly with each developmental stage. Nymphs lack fully developed wings and rely solely on walking and climbing to move around.
Instead of full wings, they possess small, external structures called wing pads on their backs, which become progressively larger with each successive molt. The fifth and final instar nymph has the most prominent wing pads, signaling its imminent transformation into a winged, flying adult. Only after the final molt does the insect gain its full set of functional wings, making flight possible.